The Immortal Warrior
by Link The Hero of Light
Summary: Link begins his training to become a greater hero. In a world of magic, he will learn more about his family and a destiny that only he can carry. Book Two of the Hero of Light series
1. The Immortal Warrior

**Inspiration: King Arthur 2, The Role Playing Wargame. Celtic Myth, the myth of King Arthur and Batman Begins.**

**Rights go to Christopher Nolan and Nintendo.**

**Story Dedicated to: TheseusLives ( check out these stories if your a Greek Myth, Percy Jackson and Norse Myth fan.)**

Link was climbing the slope of a mountain. Almost at the summit of the highest border mountains, the air was thin. The only thing keeping him alive was the Triforce. Ahead lay his goal, a temple made of cobblestone sat at the peak. A thin layer of magic surrounded it, keeping it hidden from view and maintaining air pressure.

Link was dressed in heavy furs to keep out the biting wind. All the rest of his gear was on his back, at least 80 pounds of gear. Link couldn't make a return trip down the mountain, his rations were nearly depleted. This was the first part of the training that he had set out to complete. Link's goal was a temple, not a dungeon. The Temple of The Fierce Deity.

This is where his trials would begin. As Link passed though the barrier the air pressure slowly returned to normal and the doors opened. Link removed his heavy furs and put on the Hero's Tunic. The Temple looked to be lived in, no dust or cobweb anywhere. Two statues of the Fierce Deity made of black stone flanked the entrance hall. Their peal eyes reflected the torchlight making them seem lifelike. The hall was circled by a balcony leading to different rooms for the priests.

At the end of the room on a raised dais, beneath two banners with marking that resembled the markings on the god's face, sat a gleaming sliver throne. The Fierce Deity sat straight and tall. He wore red robes as if he was some kind of high priest. "What are you seeking?" It sounded like his voice was a cross between thunder and an earthquake. His voice sounded more substantial than the visions or the voices in his head.

"I seek...a way to make myself more than a Hylian, to make those who are evil feel the light of justice." "If you seek that power you must devote yourself wholly to this task." "Are you ready to begin?" Link was breathless "I can barely stand." "Death does not wait for you to be ready!" Fierce Deity moved with unnatural speed delivering a roundhouse kick to Link's knee causing him to collapse kneeling. "Death is not considerate or fair, and here you face death!" Fierce Deity kicked him in the chest sending him skidding half the length of the floor. Link blocked the next blow and counterattacked with an elbow jab, almost breaking the Deity's jaw. Fierce Deity flipped over him, doing a roundhouse kick at Link's feet. Link sensed it and jumped over it. Link turned putting all his weight behind his leg and spun. Fierce Deity caught his leg and threw it upward causing Link to flip backwards. Link backflipped on both hands and landed standing up. "You're skilled, but this isn't a dance with one enemy, this is a fight with many."

Fierce Deity came at him using hand to hand combat skills Link didn't even know. His opponent landed three punches and flipped him over to the floor. Link was sweating and panting. "You are afraid, but not of death." "Tell me, Hero." "What is your fear?" Link blacked out.

Link woke in a bed with cotton sheets. All his gear was laid out on a table. Link felt a pain in his shoulder and a bandage had been wrapped around it. Link didn't get hurt in the shoulder, so something had happened when he was unconscious. The view from the window showed him the top of the clouds, with mountain peaks rising above them like islands. Above stretched a clear blue sky. It was breathtaking.

A new variation of the Hero's tunic lay on a dresser. Instead of a floppy cap, a pull up hood had had been added, the sleeves were longer and had a place for hidden knives in each. Link put it on and looked in the mirror.

Link didn't recognize himself. The shadow of the hood covered his face so that he was unrecognizable. The tunic was form fitting, so many knives could be hidden or on display. A belt with the Triforce was tight on his waist. The tunic split along the legs allowing movement. Breakfast had been brought up by a gust of wind the door unlocked then locked. It was an half hour later when the door unlocked.

Fierce Deity was sitting in his throne, when a bright flash filled the dais. Link was almost blinded. When he looked again, he was standing right beside Link in the hallway."Your training begins today." Link was lead to an inside training court. Racks of weapons and armor covered the walls. A climbing rope, weights, and other equipment that Link didn't have a name for, improved balance and agility.

2 weeks of training passed rapidly. Fierce Deity taught him how to become invisible using theatricality and deception. He had once told Link "The most powerful weapon is fear." "You fear Dark Link because he represents your own darkness, the drive to do great and terrible things." At the last day of training the god was his opponent dressed in the same outfit as Link. Similar moving statues surrounded them. "Fear is an internal enemy, embracing your fear is the only way to use fear." "Breath in your fears."Link breathed in a mixture of burning incense. "Face them." Dark Link's face flashed before him._  
_

"Men fear most what they can't see." Fierce Deity put his hood up and vanished as the statues moved into place."You must become a terrible thought, a wraith." Link grew clammy as he put his hood up. "You must become an idea!" His teacher attacked from behind using a rapier. Link twisted and blocked two strikes. His assailant vanished in front of him, the statues moving as one.

"Feel terror cloud your senses, it's ability to distort and know that this power can be yours." The row of statues moved again, revealing at the end of the room a black chest. "Face your worst fear." Link opened the chest and black mist came out making a image of Dark Link. Dark Link was already attacking when he came out and stabbed Link through the chest. Link collapsed from the force of Dark Link vanishing as quickly as he had come. "Focus." "Concentrate." No wound was on his chest. Fierce Deity attacked in front this time and sped up his moves. When he vanished, Link was cut along the left shoulder.

He began to cut the fabric in the statues in front of him and also made himself motionless. The statues were eerily lifelike as well. His teacher knew that he had wounded Link, he just didn't know which was Link. All of them around a central point, looked the same. He put his rapier around the middle statues neck and took off the cowl."You can't leave any sign." Fierce Deity felt cold steel against his neck."I didn't." His teacher smiled "Impressive."

_"_Usually, I send my host on a quest to prove their strength." "By climbing up the mountain you proved your strength of will." Fierce Deity waved his hands and the equipment vanished, replaced by a ring of standing stones."The Seelie train their warriors by sending them to Dolorous Guard for many years of training, you only have three."Here you will learn magic skills and the use of artifacts." "The place I will send you is a camp with the only Hylian still living among them, Pellias, The Gentle Knight." "He is married to The Lady of Lake and is immortal." "A word of advice though, The Seelie are a very proud race." Don't ever insult one, because it might be the last thing you ever do."

"Why am I going into their lands just to be taught?" Link asked. "They have the best sorcerers in the world and they represent the forces of spring and summer." "Also, I have had visions of the Fireblogs a race of demons that ruled before them breaking free of their bonds."

"This circle of stones is a Sidhe pathway." "Walk to center and you will enter a world that has thought to be a myth." Link walked forward and a flash of light whisked everything away. The brightness faded and Link was standing in a wooded area on the outskirts of a camp. Spring was the only season that existed here. The breeze was cool and fresh.

He heard voices and footsteps. Link ducked aside into the shadows of a tree and waited. The Seelie were unlike anything he had ever seen before. Their weapons and armor seemed to be made of crystal. "Reconnaissance mission again." The voice was like the wind. Soft and fleeting. "I suppose it's a blessing that full war hasn't happened yet." The clouds are gathering to the north as they always have been since a month ago." Sir Percival says that Hyrule was victorious against evil last month too." "It seems that everything is mirrored, Hyrule defeats evil, The Seelie fight a month or a year later." "It also doesn't help that the star of Farore has entered the constellation of the Seelie Court at the place where the empty throne sits." "You actually believe the legend that peace will come with the son of the Summer Queen Freya?"

"Got to have something to keep hope, I still remember the Hylian and Seelie corpses lying on the field of Camlann, Nohansen and his wayward son Mordred fighting like dragons." "I still cant believe we survived that bloodbath, out of the 100,000 men about 200 survived." "Enough talk of sadness it will make me grow old." "We _are_ old Seelie."

Link needed to move his foot, it was falling asleep. _Snap._ Link had stepped on a branch. "_Aw man." "_What was that?" Use a flash arrow, it should take care of whatever it is. The flash that followed seemed to draw in the air from around it and Link's lungs. He blacked out.

**AN:Review**


	2. The Gentle Knight

**Inspiration: Arthur Rex and KA:TRPWG.**

**Rights go to Neocore Games.**

Link _hated_ being knocked out. When he woke up, he was in a different place with no idea how he got there. Chained to a chair, his weapons and gear laid on a table. Link was in some sort of command tent. Two Seelie soldiers walked in followed by a knight. The knight had that same aura of power that the Fierce Deity had. The effects of immortality.

"Why are you here?" "Where you sent?" The Knight asked. "No." Link replied. "I came here to train at Dolorous Guard." The Seelie soldiers chuckled. The knight silenced them with a stern look."Only the Seelie Council guards train there and they are the best warriors I have ever come across." "You're a little short for a Seelie so you must be a Hylian, by your pointed ears."

"We are camped so close to The Lady and you were discovered so close to her home." The knight was silent for a while then nodded as if he had an idea. "Only a worthy ally could pass the Test of Wisdom and Knowledge."One of the Seelie started."Sir are you _sure_ about this?" The Knight nodded,"That if he answers all three questions correctly he will be allowed to go free and also be recruited?" "Or if he wins, you still want to explain to the Council why you went against your commanders wishes and the Old Ways?" The Seelie paled,"No Sir." The Knight nodded.

The Knight turned to Link. "Stranger, I don't know who you are or where you come from, but you must have some magical ablity to enter the Sidhe pathways." Tell me your name, just to warn you though if you lie, the chair you are sitting on is enchanted to incinerate the one sitting in it if he or she tells a single lie." I will tell you if you will tell your guards to wait outside and not eavesdrop." "Fair enough." The knight turned to his warriors, "Go on patrol outside the camp." The Seelie warriors marched out.

When the Seelie soldiers were out of earshot, Link decided to come clean. He didn't want to become ashes."My name is Link." "Hello, Link." "My name is Pellias, also known as The Gentle Knight." "Do you know the rules of the Test of Wisdom and Knowledge?" "No, this is a strange land to me."

"The Test of Wisdom and Knowledge consists of two questions and a riddle." "The questions have to be factual, for example, I cant ask how many stars there are in the sky." "I'm ready." Good, first question: Who do the Tuatha Dé Danann regard as their ancestor?" "The goddess Danu." The answer came naturally, as if Link had known it all his life. "That's right, the Peoples of the Goddess Danu." "Next question, what do women desire most?" Link knew this answer immediately, he had learned it while courting Zelda. "The ability to make their own decisions."

Pellias was clearly surprised."Not many men get that question right." The knight continued "This force wears rock and dulls blade, It's the cruelest thing that we know and even the gods are subject to it, What am I? Link thought _"It's not a monster, but a part of nature."What wears a rock and dulls a sword?" Water does both but by itself it's nothing, but a river is another question." River...flow..._ "Time."

The knight smiled" "Correct, I can let you go peacefully, but if you get caught by the other Seelie they won't be so kind." The chain's that held Link unlocked, he rubbed his wrists. "Maybe you can help us, we have a problem with a Knight that doesn't die." "_An undying Knight?"_ "His castle is enchanted to keep out Seelie." Since you are Hylian you should be able to get through the barrier once you defeat him, destroy whatever is keeping him alive." His castle his to the north of here, as all evil seems to be these days." Pellias noticed the Master Sword." Apparently, you aren't any average Hylian, are you Link." "You didn't ask about titles." Link smirked. The knight smiled. "I don't stand so strictly on tradition, sometimes change is necessary."

"The only help I can give you is a charm that has some Seelie power in it." "The charm should give you enough power to disappear from Seelie eyes, while I report to the Seelie court that you passed the Test of Wisdom and Courage, if you manage to defeat the Red Knight of the Red Fields, the court will invite you as a Private to the Seelie army."

"Thank you for not beating me in a cell someplace." Pellias nodded" "That's why chivalry is so important, it separates us from the monsters." Link nodded "May the Goddesses bless you." "May the Old Ways guide us both." As Link exited the tent with his gear Link still marveled at the lands beauty. It was as beautiful as Hyrule just bathed in a glow of youth. The legends had called this realm The Land of Youth and it deserved that description, but beautiful sights often masked the darker aspects. Link also noticed why the Seelie had so easily identified him as a Hylian. They had pointed ears like him but at least 2 feet taller than Link._"Bigger soldiers mean bigger_ targets."

Many Seelie whispered behind him as he passed. Link headed south, something was telling him pulling him to a clearing that the Seelie all avoided. "He's dead already." a voice muttered. Link turned but couldn't' see who had spoken. He shrugged, many whispers followed him wherever he walked in the castle. Link continued toward the clearing.

A clear lake stretched out before him, it's surface like glass. Flowers of many different colors dotted the grass. A stone sat on the shore. Link approached the stone. One line was in Ancient Hylian, spoken at the start of the first war over the Triforce by Hylians. Only the Royal Family could read and speak it fluently, scholars a few lines each. Link read it with no problem.

_Here in this lake, dwells the resting Nohansen. When the star of Farore enters the constellation of the Seelie Council at the throne, fate will guide a half Hylain, half Seelie to the throne._ _As it always have been foretold, the Half Hylian who__ can pull the Sword of Light from the stone is the rightful King of the Seelie Courts. The Sword in the Stone is lost to others and only the King can find it.  
_

"The stone marks the exact spot where Nohansen was escorted to Avalon." As quickly as the voice came to his ears, it disappeared as did the clearing. Trees appered around him, by the moss on the trees, the path led to the north. Link hiked the way north, the path led to a tree, with the shields of defeated knights hanging in the branches. A red shield hung lower than the others.

On the other side of the forest clearing a red stone castle stood. Link struck the shield with his sword, the porticullus came down and Link could not belive what he saw. The knight that strode out was the same one that Link had faced 2 years ago. He was fairly sure it was the same knight.

"You come for a rematch Hero?" "This time you _will _feel my blade and your blood will color the field!" The Knight got off his horse and walked to one end of the field. Link took his place at the other. They charged, blades crashing together. The knight's strength was equal to that of an enraged Darknut.

Link was dressed in the iconic gear for the Hero, The knight in heavy armor which made it hard to stay on offense. Link rolled, dodging his enemy's swing and executed the Back Slice. A long red gash appered on the knight's back. "KILL!" The red knight yelled. Link dodged the knights blows and successfully tripped his enemy. Link leapt up into the air, his aim was true as the Master Sword pierced the evil knights heart. The knight turned into a red cloud that dispersed into the castle.

Link went into the castle, everything was red. The chandlier, the plates, tables, chairs, and cloth all red. A single corrodor wound into the depths of the castle. At the end of the corridor it expanded into a chamber. A irony smell entered Link's nose. A pool of liquid was in the middle of the chamber. _Blood._ Link felt nauseous and that grew worse as he heard the Red Knight's voice fill the chamber." "Magnificent, isn't it?" Link could practically _feel _the Knight's smile."See you, in the next 2 years."

Link backed into a side chamber and threw up. The red Knight was twisted as Zant. Link looked around the side chamber. A red axe, a mask, and a stone tablet with strange runes. Link looked at the mask. No sign of a spirit, then it was enchanted. Link put it on and saw the chamber as a seasoned magician. Long threads led from the pool to the tablet in front of Link. The runes made sense, all of them made up a resurrection spell. Since the person using the magic was dark, the runes were black ink. He turned to the axe, the axe had killed the knight in order to make him undead. If he struck the tablet with the axe would the connection from the knight to the underworld be severed and finally send him to Death?

Link swung the axe at the tablet and a horrible wail sounded as the tablet shattered. The Axe shattered from destroying the tablet and the remains turned to dust as well as the mask. As the mask went up, the wail stopped the rest was silence.

A grinding sound was heard as rock scraped against rock. The dungeons. The red knight had fed and kept the prison clean at least but the prisoner's clothes were matted from being worn so long. The prisoner's thanked him in Seelie tongue and as they saw Link's confused face they switched to Hylian."Thank you for saving us from the Red Knight." "We have long despaired from the knowledge that we would never see home again, and if we did it would be as a ghost or slaves."

Link counted how many prisoners had been held. 15 total. "My name is Link, from Hyrule." "Talon" "You seem to be the selfless type and none more deserving of the treasure that lured us here, the lost enchanted armor of our last king, Nuada of the Silver Hand." Link was confused "I thought that Nuada was only a king of Hyrule." We Seelie side with a half Hylian, half Seelie mortal King." "Whenever the Seelie have a king our magic returns to Hyrule."

Link found the Armour of Nuada, only that it was too big for him. Link took the armour while the the other Seeelie took all the gold and jewels in the castle. Link said fareweel to the prsioners and set of back south. He had only just lost view of the castle when an arrow hit his leg. The arrow had exited the leg, leaving Link bleeding on the forest floor. Link's vision swam. "_Poison arrow."_ Link reached out with his Triforce of Courage and found a squirrel on an upper branch. _"Help me, please." _The squirrel ran off and as Link's vision went back and forth, a old man appered. A hermit, by the design of his robes. Symbols of the old ways covered the man's sash. The old man was strong despite his age and picked Link up. The world seemed to blur together as the old man ran to a wood chapel in thye forest. Link blacked out as the poison neared his vitals.

**AN: Poor Link keeps blacking out. Don't worry as this will introduce a major character for this story.**

**Review!**


	3. Camelot

**Inspiration: Arthur Rex and Braveheart**

Link was dreaming immediately after the world went black. A part of him thought"_Really, now?"_ Link did'nt mind the dream when it took him to the mysterious vision of the lake. Everything was the same as last time, except a woman sat on the shore. Link approached, it seemed the lady knew he was there. As he got closer, he realized smaller details. The woman's hair was a luxurious black and her dress was made of some kind of silk, that was floating in a imaginary breeze.

"I have been waiting for you, Link" " I am the Lady of the Lake." The Lady of the lake stood and faced him. Her beauty was otherworldly, yet she shimmered as if she was there, yet not there. Link asked"Why have you brought me here?" "We are both spirits Link." "You are on death's doorstep, which makes it quite easy for creature's of dreams and spirits to talk to another."

"Am I dead?" Link asked worried."No, I will heal you" "I also have a request, could you retrieve a necklace from the ruins of Camelot?" "The necklace allows me to assume a physical form." "The necklace redoubles the strength of the wearer." "You will recognize it because it sends out an aura." Link bowed, "I will help you, Lady." The Lady of the Lake smiled dazzlingly and the scene vanished.

Link awoke in a feather bed. The old hermit had left the door closed. A hymn to the god of healing drifted into Link's ears. The wounds were closing, the healing removed the poison from Link's blood. Link started, the spell was speeding up his rate of growth until he had grown to adult size. His muscles swelled until they replaced his swimmer's body with one of a warrior.

Link's tunic no longer fit him. His eyes were drawn to the Armour of Nuada. It fit like a glove. and felt as light as his usal gear. The helm looked to much like a crown, so he left it with his gear that he carried in his pouches. The armor had the same magic ability as the tunic, maybe more. Link looked in the mirror.

"_Whoa."_ The other Link was more impressive, the armor glinted silver. The Master Sword had grown at least as much as Link, making it a serious longsword. Whatever the Lady of the Lake's magic did it had given him the power of the Seelie. Everything seemed to be sharper, in a higher focus. His armor didn't make a sound as he walked to the Hermit outside.

The hermit jumped and cleared his voice." I am a Priest of the Old Ways." Many knights, including Nohansen visted me when the world was in it's second Age of Wonders." "Age of Wonders?" Link asked. His voice was deeper than it used to be. "The Age of Wonders is when the Seelie have free passage between Hyrule and the Land of Youth." The Hermit explained." We had many more heroes back then." The hermit seemed to drift off.

Link broke into the Hermit's memories of the past." I thank you for your help, could you direct me to the ruins of Camelot?" The hermit paled a bit" Why would you go there with the Grey Dragon that makes it's home there?" "Nevermind, it's not my business, but please accept this enchantment." The Hermit began to chant and the Hylian Shield began to glow white. "It should stand up to dragon fire now and not even heat up should you find yourself in a hot situation." The Hermit explained. "The ruins are west of here."

Link thanked the Hermit and headed toward the sun which had begun to set. The forest stretched for miles, the trees were flowering, the petals floating on the wind. Many days passed as Link walked his way to the ruins of Camelot, that had housed greatest collection of heroes that Hyrule had ever seen.

Two weeks had passed before Link saw the crumbling citadel. The citadel was built into a mountainside. A river ran from the mountain, though the castle, to the edge of the forest. The mountain peak offered an excellent vantage point for a dragon. There was no dragon in sight, though there was the evidence of a dragon living there.

The walls were crumbling, the towers had fallen along with parts of the roof. The entire place felt sad and lonely. The entrance hall led to a table with seats for 13 knights."_The Round Table, so it really does exist." _Two seats looked more opulent than the others. A raised dais with a polished mahogany chair inlaid with gold and silver sat a little higher than the others. The seat of King Nohansen, the last king to rule both Tir Nan Og and Hyrule. The other wasn't on a dais, but inlaid with gemstones and symbols of the Old Ways. Siege Perilous, reserved for the prefect knight.

The room was the only one kept in prefect condition. The floor was cherckered white, green and red. Above, a fresco of the Gods of the Old Ways hovered in the sky. Each seat had the shield of the knight sitting in front of it. Lancelot, Gawain, Tristan, Percival, Galahad, King Nohansen, Bedivere, Pellinore, Ector, Kay, Leodgrace, Pelleas and the evil Mordred.

"Beautiful is'nt it?" Link turned, a short man with a long brown beard and sharp eyes had spoken. _"__A Dwarf." _"My name is Sindri the Dwarf." "My name is Link." Sindri gave him a suspicious look."Since you havent stolen anything yet, you must be looking for something specific." Link remembered a legend about a dwarf in Nohansen's castle but the details were hazy."_All dwarfs know about treasure so maybe he can help." _"I am looking for a necklace that belonged to the Lady of the Lake, it is supposed to give her the ability to take physical form."

"This way." the dwarf led him down twisting passages and down flights of stairs to the Caverns of Camelot. As Link followed the dwarf, his sense of foreboding grew. Scorch marks covered the walls. Melted armor and bones lay haphazardly. "Pardon the mess, I usually clean up the place when I'm not busy." Sindri actually was trying to be nice._"Maybe he doesn't get visitors, with the dragon around."_

The air grew cold and damp as they entered the deepest of the caverns._"The treasure of Nohansen." _Many legends of Hyrule talked about it's vast wealth of diamonds, emeralds, rubies, silver, gold and magic artifacts that Merlin had given to Nohansen. Bones and armor lay in grater quantities here . A clear sign that something terrible lived caverns had no exit to the outside air.

The dwarf stopped."This is as far I can take you." "The door only opens to those who have the blood of heroes and kings in them," "If you are a simple robber as the others were, the dragon will appear and hunt you till the forest border." Link heard a tone of immense power in dwarf's speech. The hair on the back of his neck stood straight up.

A small vial was appered to the side of the door, embedded in the stone. Link would have to cut himself to open the door."Do'nt think about not doing it, the door leading back has locked tight until you put three drops of blood in the vial." the dwarf explained. Link approached the vial and drew his dagger. He cut his finger and as soon as three drops entered the vial, the wound healed itself. The vial glowed gold and dissappered. The door opened.

The dwarf bowed at Link's feet and changed. Two small wings grew from his back and grey scales began to grow on his skin. The transformation made the dwarf grew till he occupied a third of the cavern, at least what Link could see. Large wings expand from the dragons back, and talons grew in. The dwarf was the dragon.

Link stumbled backwards in shock. "I'm not going to blowtorch the rightful lord of this treasure." The dragon answered in prefect Hylian. _"Rightful lord?"_ Link was no relation to Nohansen or he wouldn't be betrothed to Zelda."Your mother was a pure-blooded Seelie and The Summer Qween, the leader of the Seelie court and married your father, Bedivere a Hylian." "Being a half Hylian, half Seelie gives you great power and the ability to wield magic like a sorcerer." "Perhaps you have already noticed your growth spurt because of your exposure to Seelie magic." The Dragon explained.

_"So when I was healed by the Lady of the Lake it also caused the Seelie side to_ _awaken_." Link wanted to qwestion the dragon further, but he had disappeared. "_Typical."_ The voice of the dragon echoed,"To go back to the Lady of the Lake follow the river." Link entered the treasure chamber.

Precious gems, metals and rupees covered the floor and piled up in heaps,glowing artifacts were hung on the walls. Link couldn't see the end, but the way his steps echoed convinced him it was massive. Pillars hung up the roof and made 5 orderly rows. Link had never seen so much wealth, even the royal family vault didn't hold this much. The necklace that he was looking at had several gems in different colors and power emanated from it. Link put it in his sack, along with another necklace he had noticed. This one had three bright blue sapphire gems, the color of a summer sky, hung from a necklace of pure silver links. The silver held the gems in place by a design of ivy vines surrounding the teardrop shaped gem.

Link left the castle behind him and followed the river. The forest swallowed him. It was morning, Link had been in the castle the entire night. He was running low on provisions and no bush offered edible plants. He had a supply of water but no food. Link woke up the next night his stomach cramping. The forest offered no deer or squirrel tracks and Link was running out of time.

The clear water of the stream ran to a green castle. Mist hung in the air. The sun was setting in the west. Night was fast approaching and a bed sounded better than the ground, also Link would hopefully have a warm meal. Link knocked on the castle door.

A servant dressed in green opened the door." "Welcome traveler, to the Green Knight's Castle." The servant led Link to a dining hall. A huge knight sat at the table lavishly spread with fine wine and meats. The knight's armor was the color of the forest. "Welcome, adventurer" The green Knight's voice was deep and rich. "Before staying for the night, will you face my trail of Courage?"

Link was drowsy and agreed to face the trail. "First, cut off my head." Link swung his sword. The body of the Green Knight didn't even fall, it just walked over and reattached his head. "Now it's my turn, lay your head down on the table and let me grab a axe." The Knight left._  
_

_"What the heck am I doing?!" _Link was alone for the time being and escaping sounded pretty good. _To leave would be denying a host's hospitality, a serious crime for a knight.'' _Link waited patiently for death to arrive. The Green Knight appeared in the dining hall carrying a huge battle ax.

The Green Knight pricked himself on the edge of the battle axe, it was incredibly sharp. The Green Knight seemed to be smiling,"I did'nt expect you to be still here fellow knight." "Many have ran from this challenge." Link kept his head down as the Knight apporached. "Are you afraid of death, knight?" Link replied "Every man dies, not every man really lives."

The knight brought his axe down...

**( The Author laughs evilly.)**

**Review!**

**AN: Nelson Mandela died on 12/5/2013. At the age of 95 (1918- 2013) The man who brought the world's attention to South Africa and apartheid has died. A moment of silence for a man who fought for freedom and equality. No words can describe this great man, but here are three quotes-**

** "For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."-Nelson Mandela**

**"During my lifetime, I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for. But, my lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."- Nelson Mandela **

** "I hate race discrimination most intensely and in all its manifestations. I have fought it all during my life; I fight it now, and will do so until the end of my days."-Nelson Mandela**

**Remember, you can make a difference. The cure for cancer could be in a classroom. **

**"Free at last, Free at last. Thank God Almighty I am free at last"-Dr Martin Luther King**


	4. Caradoc

Clank! The axe had missed Link completely._"That was close."_ The Green Knight nodded towards the table that he was dining at."You turly are courageous, knight." "You are always welcome here as an honored guest."

Link went to bed and slept very deeply. Dreams didn't disturb his sleep. He awoke feeling refreshed. His provisions had been refilled last from the dinner last night. The Green Knight also told him of the last danger in the way of the Lady of the Lake.

"Beware of Caradoc, the King of the Evil Knights." The Green Knight warned. "He defeats his enemies and throws them into his wretched prison tower." "How do I get past? Link asked the Green Knight. You will have to challenge him to get through his lands." "My last piece of advice is, don't get capt_ured alive."_

_Ser_vants escorted Link from the Green Knight, his stay ended. The castle disappeared from view. As soon as he left, the castle simply dissolved into the mists. Link walked the forest path, following the river. All of a sudden, a feeling of evil came over Link.

The beautiful forest turned into a swamp. The trees seemed to sag. The river turned brown, the sky overcast. Link heard dogs barking madly in the distance. Link climbed up a tree and stopped at the topmost branch that could hold him.

Three large dogs came into the clearing and barked circling his tree. A huge knight came into the clearing, his armor a sickly shade of green. The knight's most fearsome attribute was his helmet. It was like a wild bulbo's head was attached to a human body.

The knight called out in a grim voice."I know you are here somewhere, my prey." Link now took the Green Knights advice about not being captured alive. This man enjoyed hunting people for a challenge.

Link dropped out of the tree, the dogs went to the side of their master. He could feel Caradoc's grin. "You are either brave or foolish to trespass on my territory." Caradoc spoke with confidence, knowing that he would rip Link limb from limb." You are either the son of a father I killed, but that doesn't matter, I have killed many fathers and many sons." Link's hatred for the knight grew until the world was tinged red.

Link drew the Master Sword. "Go get him!" Caradoc gave the order to attack. They magically grew until they were the size of horses. Each had razor sharp claws and teeth, mouths slavering for flesh. Link readied himself and jumped into the air.

Link executed a Jump Strike and unleashed some of his anger into the magic. The blast threw them into the ground. Link finished off the stunned ones by preforming an ending blow, leaping up from the dog's corpse and flipped forward, his blade finishing another enemy. Link felt the Master Sword begin to pulse with magic.

Link thrust his sword toward the remaining dogs that had regrouped, preparing to pounce. _"Crack!" _A lightning bolt shot from the Master Sword, incinerating all but one. The alpha of the pack, by it's jeweled collar and muscles. The dog pounced as soon as the attack ended. Link brought his shield up just in time and the impact was like a battering ram. They rolled over, dazed.

Link recovered faster and clamped a hand on the dogs muzzle, preventing the dog from biting. He had probably seconds to react before the dog mauled him to pieces with it's claws.

Link grabbed the dog behind the neck and pushed with all his strength and speed with the hand holding the dog's muzzle. _"Snap!" _Link had successfully broken the dog's neck. Caradoc was breathing heavily through his helmet. Caradoc wasn't angry, he was enraged. The Lord of the Evil Knights got off his horse and drew his sword, it was obviously a cursed weapon.

"Are you going to fight me now? Or are you going to hide behind more of your pets?" Link taunted. "Stupid kid!" Caradoc yelled. "it is beneath me to deal with such a gnat, but you are getting on my nerves." Caradoc charged, putting all his strength into a blow that would cut Link in half.

Link jumped out of the way just in time. Instead of cleaving him, Caradoc's sword cut a tree. Caradoc obviously knew how to fight, but he wielded his sword like a club. Caradoc swung and missed, swung and missed. "Stand and fight!" Caradoc yelled.

Caradoc feinted to one side. Link saw the trick coming and sliced the shoulder armor of Caradoc. Caradoc roared and red blood trickled from the wound. The King of the Evil Knights grew madder and accelerated his swings. Wile wounding Caradoc, Link noticed that the tree had not yet fallen, but was held by dry branches. If he could somehow cut the branches, it would flatten anyone standing beneath it.

"My blade will be the last thing you see!" Caradoc was completely sure that no one could defeat him in strength."_That leaves trickery."_ Link thought. Link lead Caradoc until he stood at a safe place, but Caradoc was standing right under the tree.

"Coward, come here and die right!" Caradoc swung swung his blade and Link blocked with his shield, sparks flew as Link thrust his shield into the Knights helmet. A sharp metal clang was heard. Caradoc was stunned by his own strength being used against him. In that second, Link threw the Master Sword upward, praying that this would work.

Caradoc recovered and laughed loudly. No sound from the tree above. "What was that for? Now you have no weapon!" "Look up." Link told him. He did and ran for it. Heavy armor wasn't the thing to be running in. Caradoc tripped as soon as he took the first running step. _"Crash!"_

The tree had landed on top of Caradoc's legs. The knight rolled over on his back, he was still stuck though. "Help me." the knight asked. Link just stood there. A light breeze blew through the swamp. Link heard a snapping sound, in the branches were the tree used to be in the branches. The Master Sword hung on by a thin branch, pointing straight down at Caradoc. Before Link could do anything to help, the branch holding the Master Sword broke and the blade plunged into Caradoc's chest. The blade went straight through Caradoc's heart. Caradoc didn't even have time to yell. He was alive one moment, gone the next. Link did'nt mean to kill him, it just happened.

Link mutely walked to the Master Sword and pulled it out of Caradoc's body. He also saw a ring of keys on the knight's belt. Link took that as well. It was nearing noon as Link finished burying Caradoc. Link studied the tracks that led further into the swamp. The air of decay had left.

Caradoc's tower stretched into the mists. Link opened the door with the ring of keys Caradoc had. No servants around. The stones were the same color as Caradoc's armor.

The dungeons were easy to find. The prisoner's were sleeping. Link had opened the doors and left the keys at the dining hall. Link left the tower of Caradoc. He didn't want to thanked, not for the way he killed Caradoc.

Maybe he was a good knight once. Maybe Caradoc just loved a challenge. Enough, thinking on it was useless._"What's done is done, you can't change the past, but you can learn from it."_

Link continued his search for the lake. 3 days of walking through the forest, he spotted his destination. It was no vision or dream this time. Link felt at peace. The wind carried a soothing feeling, like a caress. Flowers of different sorts and colors covered the plain, Link could smell their fragrance.

He had the feeling of walking on sacred ground. Everything here had lasted since the land was created. The Lady of the Lake emerged from a bank of fog on the water. She walked over it, as she approached Link bowed. "Lady I feel that I am walking on your lands and humbly ask if I am welcome here." Link was enchanted by her beauty. "You are very welcome here, Knight, for the lake you see hides the home of the Ladies of the Lake, my sisters of witch, I am their leader. The Lady of the Lake spoke as if she belonged to a far older time than Link. Trying to hear her was like listening to the wind.

Link presented the enchanted necklace to The Lady of the Lake. The Lady smiled, her teeth like pearls."I thank you, hero. For you have retrieved the necklace that Mordred stole from me hoping to weaken the Sword of Light and the land as well." As soon as she put it on, The Lady sounded more substantial, more flesh and blood.

"Lady, I have come here from Hyrule, to hopefully train and advance my magical powers." Link told her all about how he had come here. The Lady of the Lake nodded as if she knew how and why Link had come to Tir Nan Og. "There is one way you can find what knowledge you seek, if you can see past what a jealous sorceress has entrapped him with." "The person who can best train you is Merlin." The Lady of the Lake sounded perfectly serious about what she was saying."Lady, I thought Merlin was dead." Link spoke with confusion. "That is the story the enchantresses Viven told."

The Lady of the Lake sounded a little angry when she said Viven's name. She faded back to a faint vision. "Our time has grown short, Knight." "Gather the Champions, these knights are scattered across this realm." "One you already know, my husband, Sir Pellias." Link's courage rose, another adventure was beginning."I will come back when I have gathered the Champions, lady."

"Head south of here, the fortress of the Sidhe courts is not easy to miss." The Lady of The Lake disappeared, but her voice carried on the wind. "May truth be your sword and faith be it's sheath, for then you will be able to fight all your battle's as the greatest heroes did." Also , never give anybody the means to destroy you with your own powers, for the acts done through those powers used against you can be just as destructive as you had done it yourself."

Silence, nothing but the sound of birds singing in the trees. Link headed south, when he turned back to the lake, the entire clearing had vanished, replaced by the natural woodland. Link didn't see the woman, hidden in the trees, perfectly invisible to his sight. The woman smiled to herself,"_I'm going to have such fun with our new Hero of Hyrule." _

**Hmmm, wonder who that is? Points to the first person who guesses correctly.**

**AN: Anybody see the preview for a LoZ spin-off, Hyrule Warriors ? (official title not released.) My mind has officially been blown. **

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	5. A Knight's Tale

The Place where the Seelie Court met wasn't hard to miss. The Glittering Citadel was made almost entirely out of crystals. Magic radiated from them. Seelie sentries patrolled the gates. Link didn't see any steel armor or weaponry. The Seelie used crystals like Hyrule used wood or metal.

The Seelie sentries stopped Link at a gate. "A Hylian, here?" The soldier regarded Link with a suspecting look. The Seelie glanced at his weapons and the frown deepened. The sentry waved four of his men over. Link got the feeling that Hylians were unwelcome here."Take him to..." A soft strong voice broke in. "Let him through soldier."

Link turned a beautiful Seelie woman walked forward. Her eyes seemed to read Link's soul. Her hair was a long, straight blonde. Her dress came down to her ankles, a strap covered one shoulder and a bejeweled belt hugged her waist. The Seelie bowed, "My apologies, Emerald Lady."

The Seelie Sentry went back to his post. "You are new here, Yes?" Link nodded. "As I thought." The Emerald Lady led Link into the citadel. Strange otherworldly music came from street corners. Smiths made weapons and armor that was clearly magical. Magical amulets and rings hung from stands set up in a central plaza.

The Emerald Lady headed for a palace that was humbler compared to the soaring walls and towers of the Seelie Court. A blindfolded woman held a set of scales and a sword lay by her side. Link guessed that the Emerald Lady was some kind of judge. The Lady sat on a bench overlooking a small garden. Every flower glowed, providing beauty and light.

The lady's eyes seemed to read Link as he sat down beside her. "What do you hope to achieve?" A simple question with no straight answer except the truth. The answer seemed to come out of Link. "To better protect Hyrule, defeat evil and help others." The Emerald Lady smiled. "Revealing one's true purpose can be dangerous, but knowing when to do so is the mark of a strong mind." "I thought you to be such a person Link, Hero of Hyrule."

"How do you know that?" Link hadn't told her his name, yet she knew who he was. "I was the Summer Queen's adviser, I can see the truth and whether or not your intentions have merit." The Emerald Lady explained. "Pelleas is waiting for you." Pelleas was standing at the gates of the garden. Link's audience with the Emerald Lady was over.

"I have to warn you about the Seelie women, Link." Pelleas was slightly tense. They can be... trouble at times." His tone didn't want Link want to ask what he meant. "Why are you here?" Link asked. "To sign documents including you in the Seelie Foot Troops." Pelleas explained. "I have a feeling you have an important quest to set out on, by the look you have." Link was so caught up in the magic city and the Emerald Lady that he had almost forgotten.

"I have to gather the Champions." Pelleas looked around, trying to see if anybody was listening."Dont go saying that name out in the open like that." Pelleas led him to a small noisy bar. _Less of a chance to be overheard here._

Pelleas asked for two mugs of Summer Whiskey. Link had never drunk alcohol before. Pelleas smiled, "What tenderfoot, don't tell me you haven't had alcohol before." Link drank expecting it to be bitter. A slightly sweet taste mixed with a burning sensation made Link cough. "Before you start a depressing tale, a drink helps." Pelleas drained his in one drought. "Gawain told me that." Pelleas drifted off into memoryland.

"Back to the Champions?" Link prompted. Pelleas sighed and began as if he had memorized and told it thousands of times before."It was hard enough convincing them to fight the last time." "Last time?" Link asked. "The Knights were more or less completely destroyed during the battle against Mordred." " I was the only one helping Hyrule from the sidelines afterwards." The Champions where what Nauda called us, but I was the only one that answered the call."

"Sir Kay, Nohansen's foster brother had been lost in battle, not dead." "Sir Galahad just disappeared searching for a path to become a demigod, part mortal , part god." "He just vanished?" Link asked. "Poof, just like that in front of two other knights." Pelleas said.

"Are you familiar with the reason why Nohansen died?" Pelleas asked. "He was killed by Mordred in battle and he killed Mordred." Link had heard the story, well, parts of it. His father Bedivere skipped an entire chapter as if it caused him pain. "The event that led to his downfall was an affair between his Qween and his best knight." Pelleas explained. "The knight committed treason against the entire Round Table and Camelot by sleeping with the Qween." "The laws of chivalry were the very thing that built Camelot and tore it down." Afterwards, the knight became a hermit living in the Deepwoods."

"Sir Tristan was the only knight that got a happy ending, he married his love and left the Round Table." Link had only legends to go by."I thought that you would know where they were since you are immortal." Pelleas shrugged,"Hardly immortal, I can die if I fall in battle." "I did learn the last place Galahad was seen from my wife, who always has favored the Knights of the Round Table." Galahad was last seen at a dwarf camp in the wasteland separating Tir nan Og from the Formorian lands." "The deepest Canyon has a river running along it's course and flows directly to the camp." Pelleas drew a rough map of the wastelands.

"Heard you almost got caught by the guards." Pelleas commanded the closest camp, so he probably made daily reports. "Usually, they aren't guarded like that, but Hyrule is sending over diplomats to assure Hyrule is neutral against the Seelie." "Who is coming from Hyrule?" Link asked. "Queen Zelda of Hyrule, to renew a non aggression pact, along the usual Seelie fanfare of dancing, music, feasting and of course the magic duel at the end." "I heard that Viven herself is coming to view the duel."

"That's what has the guards and me on edge lately, because when she shows up, it's really to cause some kind of mischief or evil." Pelleas glanced around as if waiting for somebody. "I hope you succeed Link, for I sense a storm coming." Pelleas led him out of the bar.

"Your gear for the adventure is waiting for you in a tree 20 paces from the old guardhouse by the city gates." "The only help I can give you is the cleave, a very effective battle spell." Pelleas gave him a small amulet. "Watch your back out there, Link." "The Wasteland is always changing and my map may not be accurate." Pelleas disappeared into the crowds in a hurry as if he was being watched.

_"Thank you." _Link began to feel watched as well. The guards let him through with no problem. An ruined guardhouse was further down the path. Planks had rotted and the windows broken. Walking around the perimeter, Link noticed smaller details like the someone had been here before him by the way the branches were broken in the bushes. A small knothole in a tree held a small sack. Link's gear for the adventure. Link decided to make camp at sunset, in a forest clearing. A set of deep brown eyes and a unkempt beard emerged from the shadows, then dissappeared.

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	6. The Wastelands

**Inspiration: My Rifle, My Pony and Me by Ricky Nelson and Dean Martin. **

**Rights go to Bear Family Records**

Link ventured north, to the wastelands. The lush green forest had been left behind, nothing but plains as far as the eye can see. Link slept inside a one person tent. Pelleas had given him a bedroll, flints, a tent, and enough rations to last 2 months. It was called Seelie waybread, one bite was enough to fill Link.

Fierce Deity's training lessons were the only dreams he had these days. A grueling test of strength, climbing over walls, crawling through mud while arrows were fired overhead, five mile runs around the temple at the crack of dawn, each day ended with a fight against his teacher. It usually ended with Link lying breathless on the floor or unconscious. One section of the temple Link called "Hell's Play." A room filled with rope bridges, climbing ropes, walls to go over or crawl under. At the end of the day, he was sweaty, dirty, and tired. The showers only had cold water. Meals were basically all the basic food groups. All of Link's weight was probably muscle.

The fields seemed endless. Wildlife such as wild horses and rabbits disappeared into the tall grass that tripped up Link. The worst was the sudden heavy rainstorms. Rain soaked Link to the bone and winds lashed his tent. Lightning and thunderstorms got more severe the further he pushed north. Fire had once broken out on the grassland and winds pushed the fire directly in his direction. Link didn't even have time to run, it swept over him so fast. Thank the goddesses for his new armor and gear was fireproof.

Only his willpower kept him going forward. The thing that gave Link solace during the nights was an old Hylian song.

_"The sun is sinking in the west."_

_"The goats do down to the stream."_

_The bluebird settles in her nest,_

_It's time for a rancher to dream."_

_"Purple light in the field,_

_ that's where I long to be."_

_With my sweet good companions,_

_just my sword, my pony and me."_

_"Gonna hang my cap,_

_on the limb of a tree, _

_coming home sweetheart darlin,_

_just my sword, my pony and me._

_"Whippoorwill, in the willow,_

_ sings a sweet melody."_

_"Ridin to Ordana, _

_just my sword, my pony and me."_

_No more goats,_

_to be roping,_

_no more strays,_

_will I see.'_

_"Round the bend,_

_she'll be waitin,_

_just my sword, my pony and me."_

Rusl had told him he sounded like Dean Martin, a famous singer from Ordon. "My Sword, My Pony and Me" was one of Rusl's and Link's favorite songs, back before the Twilight ever happened. It never failed to relax Link at the end of a hard day. He was always careful not to let anyone cacth him singing. Link had a soft voice for singing. Not even Zelda had heard him.

After two days of walking, Link saw the Wasteland. The land had thorns growing out of it, stretching into the gray skies. The earth felt dry, dusty, and was a grayish color. The ground was poisonous to plants and animals. Grayish, blackish water churned in rivers. As he watched, a hill began trembling and shook apart with the sound of Death Mountain rumbling. Apparently, that was what Pelleas meant by his map not being accurate.

The canyon was more like a huge kn ife had been taken through the land. Link looked down the canyon. It appeared to be bottomless, white mists hung beneath him. At the east, a waterfall tumbled into the darkness. At the west, a small path led downwards at a sharp angle. Link would have to climb down or go down the waterfall. A snarl was heard behind him. A Formori Hound had snuck up behind him. The gorge was right behind him the hound in front, the river and falls to the west. Link ran to the east. The hound ponced and sailed over him when Link rolled and drew his sword. Link was safe from falling to his death, for now. The water tumbled in a strong current leading to the falls.

The hound ponced again, snarling. Link dove to the left and slashed upwards with his sword. Black blood came from the hound's side, but the hound grew more angry than wounded. Another earthquake shook the beach that they were fighting on and the river changed the shape of it's banks. Link and the hound were now in the middle of the river's current. The hound was undeterred in it's wish to kill him. Link's sword had almost been swept away by the current. he sheathed it and realized his armour kept him floating on the surface. The wolf got closer and so did the falls.

Link drew out his clawshot and took aim. His aim was dead on as the wolf vanished in a puff of smoke. The roar of the falls sounded closer. Link turned around and yelled as the water swept him over the falls. Water, the sides of the canyon rising higher and the mist growing closer filled his vision as he fell. The mist vanished as he got closer and the river at the bottom of the gorge appeared. He was heading for the mists at the bottom of the falls. Link didn't have time to use magic protection. Link hit the water with a _woosh. _Black and grey water clouded his vision. The impact hadn't hurt. Link floated to the surface.

The falls fell out of the mists. Link floated downstream. Link swam to shore and after struggling against the current, felt gravel. Link heaved himself, exhausted, out of the water. Link got up and fought off the powerful suggestion of sleep. The further he traveled down the stream's banks, the more he heard the sounds of a forge. A chimmey bleched out smoke into the air. Hammers rang on metal and a tunnel with cart tracks led into a mine. Two dwarfs guarded the gates and walked foreward. The dwarfs took in his weapons and armour. The dwarfs talked in rapid Dwarfish that Link couldn't understand. The dwarfs seemed to be in agreement about something. "Stranger, you come to our capital unannounced, witch will raise eyebrows, considering our king has fallen ill." Link got the sense that they had seen better times. A ring of armed dwarfs came out of the shadows and surronded Link. All had battle axes.

The group led Link to the city of the dwarfs. Soaring columns held up the roof. torches lit the marketplace. Jewels and some of the finest armor reflected the light, giving off some of their own. Link was escorted to a set of stone doors outlined in gold. The doors swung open and Link was led into the throne room. The hall was polished stone, a chandelier with holders held glowing crystal's instead of candles. The king was an old dwarf, every one of his veins in his arms and face was gray. The king muttered something in dwarfish. The guards went to the corners of the room. The dwarf that spoke Hylian translated. "The King is willing to make a deal, Knight." "If you cure him with the water of the Eternal Spring, he will help you." "What is the Eternal Spring?" Link asked.

"The Eternal Spring has two pools, the left is said to cure any sickness and the right grants the power of a demigod, if the drinker can overcome the seven deadly sins of greed, lust, gluttony, wrath, envy, pride, and sloth." "If any person has been convicted by the gods for even one of these, the drinker will go mad or perish in hellfire, the fire that burns the very soul." "Where is the Eternal Spring at?" Link asked. From the dwarfs smile, he probably wouldn't like it. "The Deepwoods, or what the Hylians call the Lost Woods."

Link was escorted out of the king's presence. Only one dwarf led Link to a guest chamber. The door locked behind him. His weapons and armor had not been confiscated by the dwarfs. Link cleaned himself up and ate a meal of Steak and water that a dwarf had brought in. Link fell immediately asleep as he slept in a feather bed.

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**AN: Happy Holidays!**


	7. The Deepwoods

Link awoke not knowing if it was morning or afternoon. The Dwarf city was almost entirely underground. The door had been unlocked while he was sleeping. Link was met by a the same dwarfs that had guarded the gates when he arrived. They led him to a system of lifts that went at an angle to the surface. It was a good thing Link wasn't claustrophobic, as he took up an entire lift.

The lift was cleverly disguised as a rock slide blocking a cave entrance in the Wastelands. As soon as they closed, Link was looking at a solid wall of rocks and boulders. He set off across the Wastelands, heading southwest to the forest. The weather wasn't as bad crossing the grasslands. It was as if the weather itself didn't want him to journey north.

The trees stretched from the mists of the Deepwoods. Once Link entered, he lost all sense of direction. He came to the same place, going in circles whatever path he took. He turned into a wolf to better sense where he was going. A scent trail glowed, often vanishing into the mists.

The scent trail led him deeper and deeper into the forest. Link realized that the trail was magic, from it's smell. Link had no idea how to describe it's smell. It was just there. When he turned his head around, the trail vanished. No going back. When the sun set, the mists made it impossible to see through even for a wolf. This fog was magical in nature.

Link slept under the shade of a tree. In the morning, the fog caught the colors of the rising sun. The mist now had a golden tint to it. The trail beckoned him forward. As he went, the fog started to clear. Link changed back to Hylian.

Link had the feeling that something was watching him. Some instinct told him to duck. Something flew over his head and a monster leaped out of the brush. Link had fought many monsters, but he had never seen a Formorian Giant. Link got the feeling he was looking at a demon from before shapes had been fully defined. Tentacles came out of it's back and his skin looked like stones fused together.

The giant stomped his massive foot and a shockwave and a miniature earthquake knocked Link to the ground. Link rolled aside as a massive foot almost crushed him. The giant flailed his tentacles like a whip. Link cut through them like tissue. The giant roared and grabbed Link. He stabbed downward, wounding it's hand. Link was dropped while the giant held his hand in pain.

_"How in Hyrule am I gonna defeat this guy!" _This giant was large and Link's attacks were probably like bee stings. Brute force wasn't going to work here. Link preformed a great spin, but it only left a deep cut along the giant's right thigh. He had no idea how to use the skill Pelleas had given him. The giant kicked out at Link, almost sending him flying across the field. The giant was strong, but clearly stupid. The giant stumbled and fell on his back. Link leapt into the air and the Master Sword pierced the giant's chest. Link took out his sword and the giant rose. Nothing Link had fought thus far could withstand an Ending Blow.

_"Holy Farore." _The giant rose unsteadily. Clearly wounded, but still standing. As the giant rose, Link leapt into the air. Master Sword in both hands, it began to glow a faint red as Link found the magical power of the Master Sword and the amulet around his neck. The monster turned into a cloud of stone dust and chips as the sword hit the neck. The magic faded as soon as the Master Sword hit the ground. Link spat a few small chips out of his mouth.

He continued his journey, the forest began to liven and Link's energy spent during the battle returned. Rays of sunlight came through the trees. The feeling of walking on sacred grounds came over Link. A small trickle of water ran over some rocks and two bowls sat beneath the ends of miniature waterfall. The bowls were plain copper, no rust or imperfection anywhere. The Eternal Spring. The water was so pure it looked like polished glass in the bowls.

A voice came on the wind._"Please return, Hero." _A clear crystal vial appeared on the left side of the bowl. Link took off his boots, because something inside told him to. He walked forward. The grass was soft underneath his feet. The water filled the vial. Stepping away, the spring smelled of a mixture of purity. Link put his boots back on and walked back to the capital of the Dwarves. Before he even left a knight came from the undergrowth.

Link was struck by how half of the knight's helmet was melted. The rest was intact and spotless. A symbol of the Round Table was on his shield. A wheeze from the knights visor told him he was breathing."Help me." The knights voice was scratchy and rough. Link instantly felt pity for this knight. "What should I do?" Link asked. The knight coughed badly. "Defeat the seven deadly sins to break this curse." Link would be fighting powerful demons in physical form, he didn't want to think what would happen if he was defeated by them.

"I will help you." "What is your name?" Link asked. "Galahad" The knight coughed strongly. The knight was sick, that much Link could tell." The only thing keeping me alive is daily drinks from the fountain." The knight's armor wore him down. "I will come back, I promise to help you." Link walked back into the mists were he entered the clearing. The mist was making a curve along the clearing. It seemed this area was clear of mist because of the spring.

As soon as Link entered the mists, a gust of wind blew. A sensation of dizziness came over him and when the fog cleared, to Link's shock he was standing at the rock slide in the Wastelands. He had gone days of traveling in an instant. Link's stomach didn't agree with the method of travel.

The dwarves immediately rushed Link into the Throne room. The dwarf had gotten worse, his skin was paling, his face had boils rising on it, and his eyes had turned bloodshot. When the King drank from the vial, his beard turned a rich brown, his skin regained it's color, the boils shrank and his eyes cleared. The King thanked Link for his help and would help him if he needed it. Link only asked for advice about the Seven Demons. At the words, the hall seemed to grow a bit colder.

"The Seven Demons are said to be in the underworld, the afterlife awaiting those who have not achieved the Sacred Realm." "Getting in is easy, getting out is harder." The enterance to the underworld is said to be in a black pyramid, right in the middle of the Wastelands, guarded by the Formorians." You would have to be invisible to get through the guards." The king spoke to an offical looking dwarf and he hurried off."We have many powerful artifacts that we have made for the Seelie, but sometimes they don't collect them." The dwarf walked back in holding a shimmering fabric that seemed to be made of air. "This is a cloak that makes the wearer invisible." The Dwarf King told him.

"Thank you." The dwarf handed him the cloak and despite it's appearance it felt like a regular cloak. The dwarves gave him meats for the journey, meat was hard to come by, since the Seelie almost never had feasts, except for a visiting monarch,a great victory, or the crowning of the King. Link rested before setting out for the Black Pyramid. Link learned about the weather in the Wastelands, it was called The Dreadstorm, and made the formorians stronger. Many Seelie battles waged on this border, both sides had no advantage and seemed to be more likely to tear each other apart. His cloak would help him sneak around these battles and the sentries surrounding the Pyramid. Nobody knew what it was like in there, since none had returned to tell the tale.

Link would begin the journey deeper into the Wastelands in the morning. A good sleep and a good meal was all a simple man could ask for. During an adventure these were luxuries. Link's favorite time to get up was around early afternoon, he was not a morning person. He felt sluggish in the mornings until breakfast. Half of him was awake, the other half still asleep. Link's dreams did'nt bother him during peacetime, but when he was adventuring it was another story.

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**AN: My computer decided to slow down when I was halfway through this and it deleted all of the page!**


	8. The Black Pryamid

**Inspiration: Indiana Jones video games The Staff of Kings and The Emperor's Tomb.**

**Sorry that this late, I signed up for job training so expect slower updates.**

Link thought he had seen monsters. The Formorians that patrolled the landscape had tentacles coming out of their heads, acting as hair. Their eyes were small and beady, better suited to seeing in the dark. They had pale skin that looked like smooth rock had fused together. All of their teeth were pointed canines.

Walking across the Wastelands, he saw several skirmishes between the Seelie and the Formorian's. Small bands of Seelie ambushed the patrols sending them into chaos and confusion. Here and there, lightning flashed down on the enemy, often destroying a whole unit. A bright flash sent Formorian's flying backwards. The Seelie units were small, but they made up for it in skill. Even surrounded by enemies, they cut though effortlessly.

The further he ventured north, the darker it became. Sunlight was blocked out by the clouds, everything in a reddish haze. Link could see, but it wasn't regular seeing or even the senses of a wolf. Nothing grew here, only decay. Link traveled invisibly through the diseased lands. He had been sleeping out in the open where he could. When he woke, he had no telling if even a day had passed. The sky was always the same, cloudy with a gray red mix of colors. The ground curved downward. At least, that's what it felt like. It was like walking down a monster's throat. _"Bad thoughts." _That image didn't help Link at all.

He heard his heart beat faster. Link stopped, it wasn't his normal heart beating. The sound came from the ground itself. Link went over the next hill and dropped to a crawl, hoping he really was invisible. What he saw made his heart freeze.

A black pyramid as polished as the obsidian the Gorons sold as jewelry, sat in the middle of the plain. Tentacles of darkness drifted into the sky and connected with the clouds like the spokes on a wheel. They looked like veins running across the ground, poisoning it. The beating Link had heard earlier came from the pyramid. It was pulsing with magic like a heart would beat.

Around the pyramid was a force of Formorians that the Dwarven King had told him about. Link had not expected an army that extended to the northern, western and eastern horizons. This army was at least a couple times larger than the monster army of Demise and Majora. A circle of heavy infantry guarded the pyramid entrance.

Link called a thick fog to descend a mile across on the pyramid. The red haze grew thicker, until Link could only see a few feet in front of him. He walked around the base of the hill facing the pyramid. A sentry was standing guard and as luck would have it, his back was turned. When the formorian turned to face Link, the creatures eyes swept past him.

Link was completely invisible to the formorians. It was a good thing he had the cloak, since it also covered his tracks perfectly even when dust wasn't kicked up by his boots. Link got a better look at their armor. It was a cloudy color, as black as storm clouds or red like blood. Shields were spiked and swords were barbed. The pyramid doors were open and a sulfurous smell wafted out. On entrance, the doors swung shut and the torches lit with green fire. The doors behind him turned into a solid wall. The entrance changed it's location.

The air turned humid and stuffy. Link took off his cloak. He had a feeling he wouldn't be needing it yet. Link had barely taken two steps when a _"CRASH!"_ came from behind him._"Did the wall just move?" _Link jumped aside as dust trickled from the ceiling._ "CRASH!" _Giant slabs of stone fell out of the ceiling almost crushing Link as he ran. He rolled into a room and the final slab fell behind him.

Link looked around the chamber he was in. A strange arena took up a majority of the room. Stone dragons craved into pedestals ringed the perimeter of the court. Four circles were in the floor. _"Some kind of game?" _He had the sense that this was a literal game of life and death, literally. Tablets were in all of the pedestals, carved in green jade. Link pressed the tablet on the statue above the court. Two above, five below. _"Seven Demons." _As soon as Link pressed the tablet, the circles began to spin. A door on the left side of the chamber opened and a boulder came rolling out onto the court._"Almighty Goddesses!" _

The boulder ran around the arena always hugging the sides of the court. As soon as it passed, Link ran after it pushing a second and a third tablets. On the third panel, another boulder came rolling out. This is when the danger to life and limb took it up a pace. There was no order to the madness now. The boulders knocked one another out of the way, going wherever they wanted. Link got to the other side of the room and waited for an opening. He repeated the process with the other tablets, having some very close calls with death.

Four boulder's were in the court and a smaller one, made of polished gold and was light enough to be thrown. Two rings were on the left and right sides of the court. Link chose the one on the right, since it had some form of catches in the them behind some form of glass. The smaller one was faster, hanging around a rock and a hard place. Link grabbed it as it rolled towards him. He threw it into the hoop. The rock was taken inside, behind the glass making a click sound as it feel in the catch. The disks stopped spinning and the boulders slowed. A door opened, leading deeper into the pyramid. _"Whoa" _Whoever built this place was either a genius or mad. Through the door, a bridge with stone snakes with small fire placed in their mouths glowed blue. A the end of the bridge two massive doors were slowly closing. Naturally, the stone snakes breathed fire as he ran, almost frying Link at the first attempt. He dodged and weaved, the heat of the flames went right through his armor. Link slid through the doors with inches to spare.

Link caught his breath and drank some water from his canteen. The room he ran into was decorated with runes that he couldn't understand, nor did he want to read them. All seemed to call the cursed spirits from the Underworld. The green fire from the torches made them eerily lifelike. Link must have stepped on a pressure plate because the floor fell out underneath him.

Link was still standing when the floor stopped, leaving his stomach somewhere in his chest. "_Creeak, Creeak."_ Now the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He looked back. A beam with reaper blades used to cut down wheat moved behind him, each blade was sharp enough to cut Link like a loaf of bread. It seemed that the only thing he did in here was run from deadly traps. _"Heck, a monster would be nice." _The blades picked up speed as Link ran the blades scraping against the walls and throwing sparks. Link rolled and grabbed his hat before a stone wall landed with a _thud._

"_That was too close."_ Link examined the chamber. Water fell over an arch in a powerful downpour. Getting through that would be impossible. Stone paths led around the chamber the doorways facing the center of the room, excellent points for archers. A small disk sat in the middle of the chamber. Symbols on the wheel in three rings with three points set to a Hylian numeral, a monthly constellation and the cycle of the moon. Each of three doors Link could enter had 3 symbols, the same as the ones on the floor.

A small gold crown sat on a cushion. The crown was something a king would wear. When Link approached it something felt odd. He looked around and pictured hidden bows in the walls firing arrows at him. Link positioned himself against a pillar and readied his bow and arrow. The arrow flew straight and true, glancing off the crown and sent it rolling across the floor. Poison arrows shot from above and the sides. A statue of a wraith came out of the ground, palms up as if asking for something. The pit it had come out of blazing with fire. Link placed the crown in it's hands and the statue vanished silently. A _"click"_ from beneath the stone circle told him it was now unlocked. Leo, half moon, 1.

The door opened silently. The first room was a maze which Link had to go through using trail and error. The magic of the Pyramid was keeping him from transforming. At the end, a mural depicted Nohansen pulling a sword from a stone. A sword sat in the middle of the room, despite being there for ages, it still shone like new. When Link pulled the sword out of it's pedestal, a door opened leading back to the room he had entered. The mural looked wrong somehow. Running his finger along the outer edge, a small space was between the mural and the wall. Pushing it forward, a statue of a knight rose from the floor in the room behind the wraith statue. Link entered the chamber and the statue wraith appeared. When the sword was in it's hands the blade changed, turning a pale blue.

Vanishing in a puff of smoke, the wheel unlocked again. 3, crescent, Sagittarius. A second door opened, a hallway with the floor taken out lead around. Blades and spikes came out of the walls. Link's task grew even more life threatening as soon as he reached the second ledge. A slab of stone came down, covering the doorway and began to move slowly forward.

Link dodged the darts and blades, keeping ahead of the wall of death that crept silently forward. _"I traded a happily married life with Zelda for this?" _His muscles where screaming from pain as he jumped from wall to wall. Link almost collapsed when he finally reached the end of the gauntlet. _"Nothing like stamina potion."_ Over the course of his adventures, Link had respect for potions, as nasty as they tasted sometimes they actually worked. Chu jelly was a last resort, that stuff was tasted like paste and was just plain nasty.

The room beyond had a mural of an upraised arm, clothed in white, holding the sword Excalibur. A shield sat on a simple stand. Taking the shield, Link pressed the mural. A second statue rose in the room beyond the wraith. 2 out of 4.

Link gave the shield to the wraith and it immediately turned black as darkness. 5, full moon, Scorpio. A third door opened and a black wrymling came slithering out. A wrym was basically a dragon, minus the wings, half the size and moved like a snake. This was one of the fire breathing types and had that oh-my-goddesses-that-big-snake- is-going-to-eat-me type of paralysis.

Link rushed in, since the room it was in was cramped and it wanted out. By keeping it in place, he managed to restrict the wrym's movements. Link brought a swift end to the creature by preforming a great spin powered by the cleave spell. The wrym turned to dust leaving it's armor behind as a spoil of war.

A black cloak was held on a simple hook. The Wedding of Nohansen was displayed. A third statue rose out of the ground. The cloak radiated magic in waves, the wraith took it and the statue turned black. _"It's just a statue, Link nothing to be scared of." _2, dark moon, Vega. The 4th and final door opened and a mural of the death of Nohansen was on the wall. All four statues were in place. A small black dagger hung below the mural. When Link put the dagger in the wraith's hands the statue vanished in a puff of smoke like before, but Link could have sworn he saw the statue _move._

The room behind was used for some form of guard duty. What was being guarded, Link had no idea since it was already carried off. The four knights were all facing a point in the floor. Link moved them closer together. When the last one was moved into place the statues raised their swords as if to knight a hero. _"From a guarding postion to one used in knighting ceremonies, I'm going to take that as a sign to go ahead." _The platform sank into the floor taking Link into the darkness.

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